Action Video Games

Video Games Encyclopedia by Gamepressure.com

A list of ReleasedAction video games sorted by popularity among gamers.

Action games. Wide category of games that require reflex, accuracy and agility. It includes, among other things, shooters (e.g. Call of Duty and Battlefield series) and action-adventure games (Tomb Raider). First and third person perspective (FPP/TPP) is used. In most cases we are playing as a character who has to defeat some enemies and reach a specific point. We can use a wide range of weapons, including pistols, rocket launchers, swords, knives and like. Action-adventure is a particular category within action games genre. Such titles put less emphasis on action and combat, focusing more on story, exploration and puzzles.

The fifth major installment in the massively popular action game series developed by Rockstar North in cooperation with Take Two Interactive. Grand Theft Auto V is set in a fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles). The story revolves around adventures of three characters: Michael De Santa, Trevor Philips, and Franklin Clinton, men infamous for brushing up against the law. The game’s creators stayed true to the franchise tradition of sandbox gameplay model, giving players an unparalleled freedom of choice when it comes to completing missions and moving around the virtual city. The game's budget amounted to 360 million dollars, a record number for a video game.

The seventh major installment in the Ubisoft's best-selling action game series. Plotwise, Assassin's Creed: Empire is a sort of prequel to the entire series, taking players so far back in time as none other installment did - to the ancient Egypt, long before the two opposing orders of Assassins and Templars were founded. Players play the part of a slave, a distant ancestor to Altair - the protagonist of the first Assassin's Creed. Concerning mechanics, the title does not differ significantly from previous installments of the series, still being primarily an adventure game, supplemented with action sequences and carefully planned assassinations. The game world was, of course, with reverence typical of the franchise, adapted to the new setting, bringing back things like the possibility to mount animals or use boats. On the technical side, Empire is said to avoid relying on the achievements of previous installments, while our area of activity is approximately three times larger than what was offered by Assassin's Creed IV.

An action adventure game focusing on multiplayer, set in an open world filled with pirates, treasures and exotic lands to explore. It is a work of the experienced studios Rare – creators of such classic series as Donkey Kong and Banjoo-Kazooie. Players take on roles of corsairs taking part in countless adventures, both on land and open sea. Gameplay revolves around exploration and searching for legendary pirate treasures, though there is a lot of fighting against monsters, as well as epic naval battles of competing groups. As can be easily noticed, Sea of Thieves takes a lot of inspiration from classic tales of pirates, but depicts it in a very humorous way, which is emphasized with its cartoonish visuals.

The second expansion to Assassin’s Creed: Origins developed by the creators of the base game – Ubisoft Montreal. This time around, players get to familiarize themselves with the Egyptian mythology – the story featured in this DLC revolves around the titular curse, which has brought one of the pharaohs back from the world of the dead and has unleashed various legendary beasts. In Assassin’s Creed Origins: The Curse of the Pharaohs, developers have increased the experience level cap and allowed Bayek to learn entirely new abilities. This add-on also introduces an entirely territory filled with story-related quests and numerous side quests just waiting for the player to be discovered.

A sequel to Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide from 2015. The title is a first-person perspective action game focused on cooperation mode. The players use various weapons to fight beasts living in the Old World.

The fourth installment in a best-selling action game franchise. The title was developed by Rockstar North Studios under the supervision of Chris Sawyer. The protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV is Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe who recently came to America, where he starts a career in the criminal underground. The sandbox gameplay model gives the player much freedom in exploration of Liberty City, a virtual metropolis, where you can move around using various vehicles (cars, motorbikes, and helicopters, among others). How the story unfolds depends on the player’s choices regarding order in which the missions are completed. Apart from single player gameplay, Grand Theft Auto IV offers online or LAN multiplayer for up to 32 people.

A new installment in the bestselling series of action games. The game expands the ideas introduced in the third entry in the franchise, released in 2001. The game was developed by the authors of the previous installments who, after having been bought by the American giant, were transformed into Rockstar North. The game takes place in the 80's in a completely new metropolis called Vice City. The player becomes Tommy Vercetti, who was sent by his boss to establish a foothold in the city while taking care of the local gangs and corrupted police. The game has similar mechanics to its predecessor and focuses mostly on completing various non-linear story missions. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City added some new features, such as the possibility to use motorcycles and helicopters. The graphics, inspired by aesthetics of the 80's, were greatly improved as well. During the game, the player is accompanied by a varied soundtrack broadcast by several different radio stations.

The seventh installment in the controversial Grand Theft Auto series – one of the most popular game franchises in history that brought Rockstar Games company international fame. The series has been letting the player start as a petty criminal and work his way to the top of the criminal underground. This next part of the series is the biggest one so far, featuring world – the State of San Andreas – almost three times larger than Vice City. Among many innovations, there are several thing worthy of mention: improved AI of civilians, option to recruit gang members, increased number of interactive buildings, hunger factor, swimming, and new means of transportation (e.g. bicycles). On top of that, there game features numerous extra activities, highlighting the sandbox character of gameplay. The game features the atmosphere of the 1990s, apparent in both the graphics and the soundtrack available via the numerous in-game radio stations.

Another installment in the popular series of action adventure games, once again developed by Crystal Dynamics, the studio that brought us the successful reboot of the franchise. In terms of plot, the game continues the story arcs started in the previous part. Again we accompany the young, although tougher and more ruthless, Lara Croft. Unlike in the previous game, this time we visit different parts of the world, exploring larger and more open places. As for the mechanics, the production combines the survival aspects of its predecessor with the exploration of the many tombs and catacombs, which is the hallmark of the series. The gameplay is therefore full of numerous stealth elements as well as purely arcade sequences, including open exchanges of fire. Lara also uses a number of brand new weapons and gadgets. Designed for eighth-generation console, the production features high-quality graphics, which represents an important rise in quality as compared to the previous parts of the series.

A sandbox game that defies classification, developed by the independent Mojang AB studio. Minecraft has been developed with the intention of unleashing the creativity of players, who can freely change the game's virtual world made from voxels (cubic blocks). The gameplay concentrates on terrain transformations, building structures, crafting items, and creating your own adventures. The game consists of two modes: a classic one, which allows for unending experience, and survival, in which we have to prepare to fend off monster assaults at night. In addition to single player, Minecraft also offers online multiplayer. The game from Mojang AB is distinguished by its unique retro visuals.

The third installment in a popular first person shooter franchise. This game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal Studios in cooperation with Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Reflections, and Massive Entertainment. The protagonist of Far Cry 3 is Jason Brody, whose vacation unexpectedly turns into a fight for survival. Jason and his friends land on an island occupied by psychopathic pirates. He has to free his friends from the hands of the madmen and find a way back to civilization. As befits a purebred FPS, the gameplay is filled with shootouts, in which you use many different weapons. The game offers nearly complete freedom when it comes to exploration, combat tactics, and execution of various missions.

An MMO shooter with survival elements, set in a world after a zombie outbreak, developed by the Daybreak Game Company studio. The title is one of the two alternative versions of the survival sandbox game formerly known as H1Z1 that was divided into two independent productions during the early access stage. Unlike H1Z1: Just Survive, that remained faithful to the developers' original concept, H1Z1: King of the Kill focuses on dynamic action and players competing in one of several PvP modes, spearheaded by the Battle Royale mode, well-known from the original game. The game features also some elements of survival: before the struggle begins the players get a little time to gather resources and create equipment that they will use to fight their opponents. However, in contrast to the original game these elements were marginalized.

An first-person perspective survival horror game, created by the Polish developer Techland, known for Dead Island and the Call of Juarez series, among others. The player assumes the role of a character who is trying to survive in a zombie-infested metropolis. The sandbox gameplay of Dying Light is divided into two phases. During the day, the game puts main focus on exploration and acquisition of raw materials and weapons, while at night players must face hordes of the living dead. The creators wanted to put the accent on two gameplay elements: thrilling combat with a variety of weapons (including crafted ones), and dynamic movement throughout the city, enabling the players to overcome terrain obstacles using parkour. In addition to a single-player campaign, Dying Light also offers a four-person cooperation mode via the Internet.

A third-person action game with RPG elements created by Guerilla Games, the studio known for Killzone series. The game is set in the distant future, where the world is ruled by intelligent animal-like forms that evolved from the machines responsible for the fall of an advanced human civilization centuries ago; the former rulers of the world survived, but their lifestyle was reduced to that of primitive, isolated tribes. The player takes the role of Aloy – a young girl, who seeks to find secrets of the ancients and discover her destiny. The heroine is not defenseless in this dangerous world. When fighting hostile machines she can count on her skills (developed individually) and loads of futuristic weapons, made up of parts of fallen enemies. The game is set in an open world, and the protagonist is free to choose both the order and method in which she undertakes missions. You can either openly confront your enemies or cunningly exploit their weaknesses.

The fourth installment of the extremely popular series of sandbox FPP action games. In accordance with the Ubisoft’s policy, the production was developed by several internal development studios led by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai. Once again players have the opportunity to assume the role of a protagonist forced to face numerous enemies and obstacles all by himself. At his disposal, however, is a considerable arsenal of firearms and melee weapons. The creators remained true to the well-proven gameplay scheme, allowing the gamers to explore vast locations and complete task with an unparalleled degree of freedom. On the technical side, Far Cry 4 fully employs the potential of the constantly improved Dunia Engine, providing high-quality audiovisuals and realistic physics.

An online shooter with elements of survival, focusing on a Battle Royale type of competition (the last man standing wins). Playerunkown’s Battlegrounds is a game from the developers of TERA MMO and the creator of Battle Royale mods for Arma II and Arma III. The rules of the game are simple: a large number of players are put together in a big closed location with only one mission – to eliminate everyone else. A game ends when there is only one player left alive. Participants start off completely unarmed, so the first phase is basically a race for the best weapon. Players can make use of various kinds of traps, and the game offers much freedom when it comes to choosing the methods of eliminating enemies. An extra help for that comes from a simple crafting system, which lets you construct items from gathered resources. Playerunkown’s Battlegrounds’ fast-paced gameplay is further increased by the fact that the map is gradually getting smaller, making confrontations between players more frequent.

Star Wars: Battlefront II is a sequel to the 2015 multiplayer FPS game and the fourth game in the cult series that was started eleven years earlier by Pandemic. Unlike the previous game, Battlefront II offers both a complex multiplayer mode and a single player campaign set right after the destruction of the second Death Star. Iden Versio, the game's protagonist and the leader of the Empire's special forces, is given the task of avenging the Emperor. Different studios developed different parts of the game. The single player campaign was created by studio Motive, lead by Jade Raymond. Space battles were created by Criterion, and the multiplayer mode, key element of the game, was developed by DICE. Up to forty players can take part in online battles and play one of the four available classes. Additionally, we can customize characters, vehicles, and gadgets. It is worth mentioning that the game presents more than the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI). We will meet, and play as, heroes from different eras of the Star Wars universe, like Rey and Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens or Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace.

Call of Duty: WWII is another installment in the extremely popular first-person shooter series developed by Sledgehammer Games. The game comes back to its roots and takes the players to the World War II era. We play as "Red" Daniels (member of the famous 1st Infantry Division) and take part in a series of the most important battles of WWII, including Normandy, Ardennes, the Liberation of Paris, and the Battle of Berlin. We will use all kinds of weapons as we play. In many cases, cooperation with our unit is the only way to achieve victory. if we run out of ammo or need healing, we have to ask one of our team mates for bullets or medical kits. Along with the single player campaign, Call of Duty: WWII offers a competitive multiplayer mode. The biggest novelties found in the game are the narrative War mode and the Headquarters, game's social center so to speak. As usual, the game comes with a B-class movies styled Zombie mode where we will face undead Nazis.

The tenth iteration of adventures of Lara Croft, released as a reboot of the original, cult action-adventure series - Tomb Raider. The game was developed by Crystal Dynamics Studios under the auspices of Eidos Montreal. Their goal was to re-imagine the heroine in a new, grittier way. The game is set on an island near the coast of Japan, where young Lara Croft came in search for relics of ancient civilizations. Unfortunately, she gets shipwrecked during a storm. The protagonist survives, but now she has to fight for survival in a mysterious, deadly place. As compared with the previous installments, the new Tomb Raider offers much greater freedom of exploration, and introduces some innovations in gameplay mechanics, such as crafting and a character progression system. The game is powered by the very efficient Crystal Engine, able to generate high quality visuals.

Another full-fledged installment in one of the most popular series of war shooters played from the first-person view and developed since 2002, as the effect of cooperation between Electronic Arts and DICE. With its flamboyant title, Battlefield 1 introduces the series to the realities of the First World War. The story campaign depicts this global conflict through the eyes of several independent characters, who participate in twentieth-century's first modern military conflict. When it comes to the gameplay itself, the game reaches back to the roots of the franchise, offering larger, open maps and giving a great deal of freedom when it comes to approaching different objectives. Simultaneously, the single-player mechanics were significantly modified, in order for these to resemble the specifics of the multiplayer mode, which allows even up to 64 players to meet in one session. The new time period does not bring only the adequate weaponry and vehicles (planes, tanks, warships), but also makes it necessary to apply a different approach to combat - for instance, battles have become more brutal and a greater emphasis was placed on melee combat.

An extremely popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, produced by Riot Games. League of Legends is set in Valoran, a fantasy world that has been torn by a bloody war for centuries. However, the opposing nations found another way of resolving disputes – duels fought by their representatives in the arenas. The game has been designed with multiplayer mode in mind, based on rivalry between two teams composed of several people. Each player controls one character. The key to the victory lies in cooperation between the team members and the ability to make good use of the individual strengths of each character. The game is using free-to-play business model with optional micropayments for some items and features.

The next installment in a cult online fist person shooter series, which originated in the early 2000's as a Half-Life modification. This game was created by Valve Corporation, who purchased the rights to the massively popular mod and later developed its commercial editions. The core gameplay is built upon competition between two teams of players: terrorists and counter-terrorists. Eliminating opponents is rewarded with cash, which can be spent on new gear and weapons. There are four main game modes: Arm Race, Demolition, and two tournament varieties. The authors did not try to revolutionize the classic gameplay mechanics, mostly focusing on visual improvements to match modern standards. Most of the in-game maps are based on the original ones, and most of the changes relate do weaponry.

The fourth major installment in the cult futuristic third-person shooter series and the debut of this Xbox-exclusive franchise on an 8th-generation platform. It was developed by The Coalition (previously known as Black Tusk), studio established by a long-time producer of the series, Rod Fergusson. Story-wise, Gears of War 4 is not a direct sequel to the original trilogy; instead, we assume control over a completely new pair of protagonists. The gameplay mechanics remained faithful to proved solutions, therefore the game is still a dynamic, linear shooter that puts emphasizes the use of covers. In addition, the title features a multiplayer mode, including a co-op mode which is one of the series hallmarks. The game’s visuals make full use of the Xbox One’s capabilities while retaining the grim atmosphere of its predecessors.

The fourth major installment in a bestselling TPP action-adventure game series. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal in cooperation with other Ubisoft’s inner studios. The main story in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is set in 18th century. You meet a pirate captain Edward Kenway (the grandfather of Connor Kenway from Assassin's Creed III), who gets entangled in the age-long conflict between The Brotherhood of Assassins and the Order of Templars. Interwoven in the story are authentic places and historical events, as well as famous figures (including Edward Teach, Benjamin Hornigold, and Anne Bonny) related to the so called Golden Age of Piracy. The sandbox gameplay model offers the players the complete freedom of exploration and undertaking various missions. Complimentary to the solo mode, the game features an expansive multiplayer with a number of diverse maps and playable characters.